Category Archives: Residential

Apartment Building, Residential

North Liberty, IA – Sprinkler system activated for overnight fire at apartment complex

Emergency responders took two people to University of Iowa Health Care after a fire started in their apartment.

The city of North Liberty says firefighters responded to the fire at 1010 Rachel Street just before 4:30 a.m. Monday. Police who arrived on the scene first warned smoke was coming from the second floor of the building and a sprinkler system was working.

Firefighters broke their way in to find smoke in the living room, but the fire mostly out from the sprinklers.

Crews found two children in a bedroom and a dog inside the apartment and got them out.

There’s no word on the extent of injuries for those taken to the hospital.

Investigators are trying to determine how it started, and how much damage the fire caused.

The North Liberty Police Department, Coralville Fire Department, Johnson County Ambulance Service and Johnson County Emergency Communications Center all helped on the call.

Apartment Building, Residential

Forest Hill, MD – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex

Yesterday morning, volunteer firefighters from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and additional support from surrounding companies responded to a reported apartment fire in the Forest Hill, Maryland neighborhood. According to a post shared by Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS on social media, the fire occurred in the 2000 block of Rock Spring Road. Thankfully, the fire was controlled and extinguished promptly due to the building’s fire sprinkler system.

This is the second fire of the day successfully controlled by sprinklers in the area. The Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS X account stated, “Fire sprinklers knocked down the fire,” emphasizing their importance in preventing damage and saving lives.

Details about the damage or injuries from the fire haven’t been released, but volunteer firefighters responded quickly, and the situation was under control. As more information becomes available, fire officials may share more about the cause of the fire and how well the response worked.

Residential, Residential High Rise

Des Moines, IA – Sprinkler system activated for fire at high-rise building

The Des Moines Fire Department says a sprinkler was key to containing a fire in a high-rise building.

The DMFD released photos of the damage on its Facebook page. The department says the sprinkler system helped contain the fire until firefighters arrived and the fire was limited to one unit.

The fire department did not say where the fire happened or if there were any injuries.

Apartment Building, Residential

Urbana, IL – Sprinkler system activated for fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A fire just before 4 p.m. on Halloween left two apartments in Urbana uninhabitable.

The Urbana Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at an apartment complex on Lincoln Avenue at 3:55 p.m. on Oct. 31. Initially, three engines, one ladder and one command officer were dispatched.

When the crews arrived, there was no sign of fire coming from the building, but after investigating, crews found water coming from an apartment.

The crews forced the apartment door open and found it was full of smoke. While the fire did damage the stove, microwave and cabinets, it was kept from spreading throughout the unit by the sprinkler system.

More firefighters were dispatched to the scene and crews were able to extinguish the fire within 10 minutes. The apartment residents were not home at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported from responding crews or other residents living in the apartment complex.

The residents living in the apartment that experienced the fire, and the apartment directly below were told that their residences were not inhabitable at this time.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and damage estimates have not been determined at this time.

Apartment Building, Residential

Langford, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system controls fifth-floor fire at apartment complex

Sprinklers prevented a fire in a six-storey Langford housing complex on Saturday night from turning into something much worse, says Langford Fire Rescue Chief Chris Aubrey.

Aubrey said his department was called about 8:30 p.m. to Hockley House on Hockley Avenue, and residents reported smoke on the fifth floor when crews arrived.

There were also some reports of an explosion being heard, which prompted a request for assistance from departments in Colwood, View Royal and Esquimalt.

Langford crews found a fifth-floor unit where a small fire had been controlled by the sprinkler system.

Since it turned out to be a relatively minor incident, the other departments were told to stand down, Aubrey said. “The fire could have been much larger but the sprinklers controlled it.”

He said nothing was found in the suite that indicated there had been an explosion.

“It might have been the sound of the sprinklers activating — sometimes they make a loud bang,” Aubrey said. “And we’re checking to see if there were any aerosol cans or something like that that might have been affected by the fire.”

Residents were evacuated from the 120-unit building but all but one were able to get back inside in a few hours, Aubrey said. One person was checked out by paramedics and did not have to be hospitalized.

The street was reopened by 10:30 p.m.

Apartment Building, Residential

Midlothian, VA – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment building; No injuries reported

Chesterfield County Fire and EMS responded to an apartment fire Saturday morning that displaced three adults and three dogs.

A little before 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, Chesterfield fire crews responded to the 2500 block of Trotters Lane for a report of an apartment fire.

According to the fire department, the first crews to arrive on the scene located a kitchen fire that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system in the apartment.

There were no reported injuries. Damage from the fire was limited to only one apartment, but two other units had water damage.

Chesterfield fire crews confirmed three adults and three dogs are displaced and are currently being assisted by property management.

Apartment Building, Residential

New Orleans, LA – Sprinkler system contains arson fire at apartment building

New Orleans police are searching for a middle-aged man suspected of setting fire to an apartment in the Iberville neighborhood late Saturday, resulting in one injury.

According to the New Orleans Fire Department, firefighters responded to a 911 call at 11:43 p.m. about a fire at 1570 Conti Street. Nineteen firefighters arrived in seven units and found light smoke and minor fire damage throughout the apartment. The building’s sprinkler system had mostly contained the flames by the time firefighters arrived, and the fire was under control by 11:55 p.m., the NOFD said.

A man was taken to University Medical Center to be treated for minor smoke inhalation. The injured man told authorities that a friend, also middle-aged, set the apartment on fire after an argument. New Orleans police have identified the suspect, who is wanted on an aggravated arson charge, and are actively searching for him.

Residence Hall/Dormitory, Residential

Phoenix, AZ – Sprinkler system activated for fire at university; No injuries reported

An unknown number of Grand Canyon University students were displaced after a fire broke out at a mid-rise residential building near the school Sunday morning.

Cpt. Shaun DuBois, a spokesperson for Phoenix fire, said firefighters were dispatched to the six-story building at around 9:30 a.m. after a fire alarm went off on the building’s third floor. DuBois said firefighters who first arrived at the scene did not see any smoke or flames from the outside but quickly accessed the third floor where they saw smoke in the hallway.

DuBois added that the building’s fire sprinklers had activated and successfully kept the fire in check as firefighters fully extinguished the fire.

“The combination of fire sprinkler activation and quick actions by firefighters prevented further damage and fire extension into the structure,” DuBois said in a statement. “Occupants were alerted by fire alarms and had evacuated the building prior to fire department arrival.”

DuBois said there were no reported injuries related to the fire. Staff with the department’s community assistance program are working with GCU staff to support the students who would be temporarily displaced, although it was not immediately known how many students would be impacted or for how long.

Apartment Building, Residential

Mountain View, CA – Sprinkler system activated for laundry room fire at apartment complex

Residents of a Mountain View apartment complex were forced to evacuate yesterday afternoon when a fire broke out in the building’s laundry room. According to a social media post from the City of Mountain View Fire Department, the emergency call occurred at 3:51 p.m. from the 800 block of N Rengstorff Avenue. All tenants managed to leave the building unharmed before the arrival of the fire crew.

The first engine company reached the scene within three minutes of dispatch, encountering smoke on the third floor and heavy smoke in the laundry room. With the laundry room’s sprinkler system already engaged due to the heat from the blaze, firefighters were tasked with ceasing the water flow, ensuring the fire had not spread, and starting the overhaul process.

Authorities stated that the active sprinkler system aided the fire’s quick containment, which effectively isolated the flames to the laundry room. “Firefighters discontinued the water flow from the sprinklers, confirmed there was no fire extension into the building,” noted the Fire Department’s post. Salvaging operations were initiated to minimize water damage to affected areas, including two second-floor apartments directly beneath the laundry room.

The cause of the fire, which was successfully extinguished without injuries, was a clothes dryer that overheated due to lint accumulation. The Fire Department estimated the damages to the building and contents amounted to $40,000. During the incident, the Mountain View Police Department temporarily closed a lane on N Rengstorff Avenue to facilitate fire unit operations.

As a reminder for residents, the City of Mountain View Fire Department pointed to guidance from the National Fire Protection Association on dryer safety: “The NFPA recommends that your dryer be installed and serviced by a professional, never use a dryer without a lint filter, clean the lint filter after each load of laundry and ensure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted when the dryer is operating.”

Apartment Building, Residential

Cross Lanes, WV – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex; No injuries reported

A fire inside an apartment building was quickly put out Wednesday morning.

It happened about 4:30 a.m. in Cross Lanes.

The Nitro Fire Department said it happened at Cross Lanes Unity Apartments.

Firefighters said the sprinkler system put out the fire.

All 27 people inside were forced to leave the building. No one was injured.

Most of those were able to go back in once the building was ventilated.

The Nitro fire chief said the sprinkler system probably saved lives.

Firefighters said the fire started when someone in one of the apartments was smoking while in bed.

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